Whiffletree.



H. B. SLEDGE.

WHIPFLBTREE. APiLIGATION FILED 111143.17, 1011.

mama? WITNESSES:

&

iNVENTOR Patented July 2, 1912.

I To all whom it may concern:

HENRY B. SLEDGE, F FRISCO, TEXAS.

WHIFFLETREE.

Specification 0 Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1912.

j Application filed August 17, 1911. Serial No. 644,683.

Be it known that I, HENRY B. SLEDGE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Frisco, in the county of Collin and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vhiiiletrees, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates tonew improvements in, whiftletrees. Its object is to provide a Whittle-tree in which the stress of draft will be equally distributed throughout the body or beam of the Whittle-tree instead of acting almost entirely at the center .of said beam as in the case of the usual devices for this purpose.

"The object is more specifically to provide a Whittle-tree employing a pair of draft-rods, slightly inclined with the beam of the whittletree, and having their; inner ends connected with a link, adapted to be secured to an implen'ient or vehicle, the outer ends of the rods being passed and provided with taps- Finally the object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that will be simple and efiicient, and comparatively easy to construct, and also one in which a lighter'beain .iiiay-be used than is possible in the present practice to transmit a given amount of draft. 9

With these objects in view,-my invention has relation to certain novel features of the construction, an example of which is described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of the complete whitlle-ti'ee Fig. 2 is a plan view of a sli litly modified form of the device.

"eferring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein like letters of reference designate similar parts in both the figures,

i the letter A denotes the beam of the wliilllotree, which may be made either of wood,

solid metal orpipe. Upon each extremity of the beam is provided a collar B, to which is rigidly attached a hook (,7, adapted to receive either a clevis of some sort, or the trace chains of an implement or vehicle. A. pair of draft rods 1) of equal length and size are arranged at a slight angle with the ,beam A with symmetrical relation to the extremities of the beam, said rods being passed through the end portions of. the beam, and boingpi-ovided w th nuts and washers and useful through the beam extremities the end' ortions of the angle irons.

nut upon its extremity within the link. The hook G may be attached in any suitable mannor to the vehicle or-implement, in conjunction with which the whiffie-tree is used.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 2, the beam A is shown being rectangular in cross-section, and provided with similar angle irons ll: at, each extremity, said irons being held in place by bolts or rivets, and covering the end faces of the beam, and the end portions of its forward face. The draft rods D are passed through the beam extremities in the inanner already described, and are provided upon their extremities with nuts abutting against The clevises shown in Fig. 2, are secured to the beam by bolts passing vertically through the beam extremities.

In both forms of the invention, the draft is applied to the beam of the Whittle-tree at the two extremities thereof, and is transmitted to the hook'G and link F through the two draft rods D. The strain exerted upon the beam by the draft rods 1) acts longitudinally of the beam, and therefore meets .with a very strong resistance, so that the beam will not readily be broken. By thus subjecting the beam to a longitudinal strain, and securing the full advantage of the strength of the beam, it is made possible to use lighter material or to-use'weaker and less expensive material.

It is to be understood that any form of clevis may be used in conjunction with the above described invention, and that the specific form of connection between the link E and the vehicle or implement may be varied in a number of ways. The invention is therefore presented as including all such changes and modifications as are covered by the following claim.

lVhat I claim is: V

In a device of the character describcd, the

combination with a beam, of a pair of rods syiniiielrical with the beam exlreniities, and passing through said extremities atv a slight angle Willi the beam, means rigid upon said xr'ods abuttjng a triangular link, with. which the adjacent v name laiggflaiyqjecificacion in the extremities of said rdds' are connected, one two s scribing Witnesses.

'sideiof fsaid link being beam, {1 sleeve rigid with said link-etthe,

a swiveli juncture of its other two sides; and

hook mounted in said sleeve.

parallel with the against thebeam exti-ernities," "testimony wherfif fhave signed presence of HENRY B. SLEDGE. Witnesses f S11) DUNCAN,

.CHAMP CLARK. 

